Card games are popular both socially and for gambling purposes. Poker, and its many variations, is among the most common card games, especially for gambling. The general aim of poker is to collect a five card hand that is superior to the five card hand of one or more opponents or to try to bet in such a way as to cause opponents to believe that their hand is inferior and subsequently “fold” (concede or turn in) their hand. In the game of poker, several players compete against one another for one cumulative “pot” or sum of money. In casinos, the dealer or “house” draws a percentage, otherwise known as “the rake”, of each pot, thus generating revenue regardless of which player wins each hand.
In a standard 52-card deck of playing cards, there are 13 separately valued cards, from low to high in rank: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack (J), queen (Q), king (K), and ace (A) (although the ace can sometimes have the value of the lowest card in the deck). Each of the 13 ranked cards comes in four different suits: club, diamond, heart, and spade, with no suit higher than another—for a total of 52 cards.
There are many separate types of games within the poker family (such as Texas Hold'em, Seven-Card Stud, Draw Poker, Hi-low, and Omaha) all of which provide alternative formats for competing over a five card hand. Typically, these games involve a standard 52-card deck, although some variations use multiple decks or add a few cards called jokers which can be used as a substitute for any card in the deck.
Of all the many variations of poker, Texas Hold'em is the arguably the most famous, and perhaps the most popular. However, many poker players find that waiting for a high-quality poker hand is both time-consuming and boring. Attempts have been made to liven up the game in several different ways. Gaming machines, such as video poker machines, allow poker players the ability to play games with greater frequency. In addition, many of these machines offer variations on the game of poker which cannot be found in casino poker rooms, such as the use of multiple decks and jokers. The proliferation of so many different variations of poker and the use of joker cards is a sign that poker player crave change.
Because the poker ranking of a standard 52 card deck places the cards 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace as the cards having the highest five ranks, poker players have grown accustomed to preferring those cards. Seeing a “face card” (e.g., Jack, Queen or King) or a 10 or an Ace, tends to excite most poker players. However, the majority of cards in a standard 52-card deck are lower in rank than the five highest ranked cards. Therefore, a majority of the time, players receive lower-ranked cards, which contributes to the boredom and staleness of poker.
A need therefore existed for providing a new, exciting variation of poker and table and method therefor that would provide players with a 20-card poker deck comprising only the five highest ranked cards of 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in each of the four suits of Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts and Spades. In this way, players will only receive cards which they are typically excited to receive.